Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest, deadline 1 October 2026

There is a $25 fee to enter:

Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest October 1 is the deadline for our 24th annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. We will award the Tom Howard Prize of $3,500 for a poem in any style or genre, and the Margaret Reid Prize of $3,500 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. The entry fee is $25 for each submission of 1-3 poems. Ten Honorable Mentions will receive $500 each (any style). The top 12 entries will be published online. The top two winners will also receive two-year gift certificates from our co-sponsor, Duotrope. Submit published or unpublished work online via Submittable. Most countries are eligible. Length limit per poem: 250 lines. This contest is recommended by Reedsy. Please enjoy the ten most recent winning poems below. Submit Here 2025 Winners Tom Howard Prize Emily Davis-Fletcher "Sonogram Vision" Margaret Reid Prize Qiaorui (Sherry) Zhang "Tiger Mom" 2024 Winners Tom Howard Prize D.T. Christensen "Shoulder Season" Margaret Reid Prize Serrina Zou "Ars Poetica" 2023 Winners Tom Howard Prize Kizziah Burton "Cist" Margaret Reid Prize Mikaela Hagen "Sestina for My Daughter" 2022 Winners Tom Howard Prize Maurya Kerr "Orion" Margaret Reid Prize Tamara Panici "Elegy for a Childhood Written in a Language I Did Not Yet Speak, Addressed to the God I Once Knew" 2021 Winners Tom Howard Prize Qin Qin "Bastards' Tongue" Margaret Reid Prize Edythe Rodriguez "afro/latin/a"

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